LIMERICK people love their pets. The local authority saw evidence of this recently as part of their work on the Private Rightsizing Pilot at Mungret Gate.
The pilot scheme led by Limerick City and County Council in conjunction with the Clann Housing Association was aimed at private householders older than 55 who find their dwellings too large.
Through a transparent Expression of Interest (EOI) process request, the council will purchase private eligible homes in return for a life-long tenancy in a managed older person’s scheme.
The scheme aims to help people transfer to a smaller home thereby releasing larger three-to-four bedroom properties that are in high demand for families on the housing waiting list.
Set in a well-established and well-serviced area, the private rightsizing homes at Mungret Gate, between Raheen and Dooradoyle, comprise of two-bed townhouses and two-bed apartments.
At this month’s Home and Social Development SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) meeting at County Hall, councillors were told that over two campaigns, eight applicants were successful in rightsizing for the pilot.
Five of these were successful in a campaign to fill eight two-bed townhouses and three in a second campaign to fill 23 apartments.
According to the local authority executive, 45 applicants had initially applied for the scheme, but a number of applicants withdrew, and some were not the registered owners.
In other instances, there was no demand for the property to acquire or the Council had over-concentration concerns.
Council members were also told that Limerick people’s love of pets had a hand in some people’s decisions to withdraw due to the local authority’s pet policy.
“Pets are allowed in houses, but not apartments,” the executive explained.
Labour Party councillor Conor Sheehan asked the Council to look at the Northside of the city for a similar rightsizing scheme.
He said that he had received a number of calls from interested parties and believed there would be a large uptake.
